‘A lot of bad football’: Bills gift Broncos win with 12 men on field penalty
Wil Lutz got a do-over and kicked a 36yard field goal as time expired, and the Denver Broncos won their third straight by rallying for a 24-22 victory over the sloppy, turnover-prone Buffalo Bills on Monday night.
Lutz got a second chance after he missed wide right with four seconds remaining from 41 yards, but the play was negated when Buffalo were flagged for having 12 players on the field. Lutz also overcame his own struggles in a game in which he missed an extra point by hitting the left upright, and was unable to get another extra-point attempt off when the holder Riley Dixon bobbled the snap.
After the Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen scampered in from six yards to give the Bills their first and only lead, Russell Wilson oversaw a 10-play, 57yard drive to set up Lutz’s field goal. The key play of the drive came on third down and 10 from Buffalo’s 45 when Wilson – facing an all-out blitz – lobbed a pass deep over the middle intended for Jerry Jeudy, who was clearly interfered with by the defensive back Taron Johnson. Johnson was flagged for pass interference, giving Denver the ball at Buffalo’s 17.
“It sucks, we shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place,” said Allen when asked about the end of the game. “A lot of bad football, a lot of bad football.”
The Broncos (4-5) have won three straight and four of six since a 70-20 loss at Miami.
The Bills dropped to 5-5 after an outing in which they turned the ball over four times, with Allen throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. Allen’s 14 turnovers are the most by a player in the NFL this season.
Lutz’s decisive kick was the sixth walk-off field goal of this week’s round of games.
“Boys were relentless all day,” said Wilson after the game. “We believe in our team, we believe in who we are, in our coaching staff … our defense was lights out.”